Precast reinforced masonry wall



May 26, 1953 M. BOSS, JR., ET AL 2,639,606

PRECAST REINFORCED MASONRY WALL Filed Jan, 3. 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l s N nl f f i' Z6 1NVENToR5.

@26d-@MZ May 26, 1953 Filed Jan. 3. 1947 M. BOSS, JR., ET AL PRECAST REINF'ORCED MASONRY WALL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.

CQWQM Patented May 26, 1953 PRECAST REINFORCED MASONRY WALL Maurice Boss, Jr., and Orrie Boss, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application January 3, 1947, Serial No. 720,054

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a wall structure and wall construction unit.

The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a building structure which enables the very rapid and economical erection of a building.

Second, to provide a building construction in which a single type of unit functions both as a vertical support and side closure in the building wall.

Third, to provide a construction unit or slab for the construction of buildings which will be both light and sufiiciently strong to support the required vertical loads encountered in various types of building construction.

Fourth, to provide a building construction unit which materially reduces the amount of expensive lumber and metals required to complete the walls of a building.

Fifth, to provide a construction unit which may be erected quickly and accurately by relatively inexperienced workmen.

Sixth, to provide a construction unit which performs both the vertical load carrying functions and side closing functions of a building wall.

Seventh, to provide a building construction unit which is easily and inexpensively manufactured and easily transported due to its light weight.

Other objects and advantages pertaining to the details and economies of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.

The drawings, of which there are two sheets, illustrate a preferred form of our building structure and unit as applied to domestic dwellings, garages and the like, and several modified forms of units of stronger character which are adapted to larger structures than the average dwelling and garage buildings.

Fig. l is a front elevational view partially broken away of the wall of a building embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view along the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing an exterior wall unit joined to an interior wall.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of our wall unit.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified form of Wall unit adapted for heavy construction.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective View partially in cross section'showing the construction unit illustrated in Fig. 7 in erected position.

Fig. 9 is a plan View of a further modified form of wall unit for heavy construction.

Fig. 10 is an elevational view partially in cross section of a further modified form of wall unit with provision for the installation of electric wiring therein. v

Fig. 1l is a perspective view of a modified form of unit adapted to be eut into short sections.

Fig. 12 is a top view of another modified wall unit.

Fig. l represents the Wall of a building I built upon a foundation or footing 2 and defining a door opening 3 and Window opening 4. rlhe wall is constructed of a series of our construction units or slabs 5 and is nished at the top with a pair of plates 6 of standard 2" x 4 timber construction. No attempt has been made to illustrate the roof construction since any desired form of construction may be built on the plates 6.

As is most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the slabs or construction units 5 consist of a mass of concrete which is made with a vermieulite or other light weight aggregate indicated at I embedded in a suitable binder such as Portland cement. The slabs 5 are formed with a tapered groove 8 along one edge longitudinally thereof and a tapered tongue 9 along the opposite edge. The tongues in the example illustrated are slightly higher than the depths of the grooves 8 so that a groove I0 is formed between the adjacent units when they are erected. The edges of the units are further beveled as at lI` thus widening the edges of the grooves. 'The grooves are filled after the units are erected with a suitable mortar which on the inside of the building may consist of a vermiculite plaster indicated at I2.

Integrally formed or cast within each unit or slab 5 is a longitudinally extending stud I3 which is preferably formed of creosoted lumber and when used for dwelling construction is approximately two inches square. As is most clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the studs I3 extend beyond the top and bottom ends of the units as at I4 to provide means for anchoring the individual units to the footing 2 and plates 6.

i In assembly, the lower extension I4 of the stud is seated in apreformed channel or slot I5 in the top of the footing 2 and the lower plate 6 is secured to the top extension I4 by means of a spike I 8. A filler strip I1 of wood is positioned between the under side of the lower plate 6 and the tops of the building units 5 and serves as a nailing strip for a molding, should this be desired. The space on the outside of the wall between the lower plate 6 and the tops of the building units is filled with a mortar as at I8.

The door and "window openings 3 and 4 are formed with a lintel unit I9 which is slightly different from the side units in that it is formed with grooves 2c on opposite sides thereof, the upper groove being arranged to receive the lower ends of the studs I3 in the vertical units and the lower groove being adapted to receive va nailing strip 2! to which a standard frame .mem ber 22 may be nailed. The lintel members I9 extend across the window and door 'openings 'and rest upon the upper ends of wall units 23 vwhich are shorter than the standard Wall units. The wall units 2li above .and below the window opening and above the openingr are, of course, shorter .than .the ,full vlength wall units '5.

The footing '2 may be .provided with .a shoulder 25 around the inside thereoffarranged to support standard .floor joists 2li on which floor boards 21 are .secured fin the normal vfashion. Where .it is desirable `to use thesame wall unit in an interior wall this may be done as is Shown in Fig. .5 by providing a wall unit Ahaving an extra tongue 9A formed on the .side thereof .and arranged to engage the groove in the rinterior wall unit 5. rlhe junction between the .interior Wall and the opposite exterior wall will, of course, be with .a groove formed in -the .side fof .the exterior wall unit.

Figs. 7 and .8 .illustratea modifiedform-of .wall unit and construction .whiclrisadapted for buildings carrying .heavier roof loads ksuch as .large commercial buildings land .factories having large doors and machinery .supported .from the roof beams. .In this form of construction the wall `unit 'ZS is formed in the `saineshape as the wall unit 5 previously described, but is provided with a stud .29 :formed of .standard .shape .angle l.iron which Iis .positioned off center .close .to thefinner edge .of the lwall unit. A-s in the Arst form of construction .just described, the :studs ,29 `extend beyond .the endsof the wall units andfare adapted to =be welded as .at .to the edge 0f yan I-beam top plate 3i `on. the `top of the wall. The lower ends .of thestuds are `weldeolasat .32 to a metal sill -38 .secured tothe footing 3l by bolts vpoured in the footing. .'lhe inner edge of :the footingis beveled on as ati .permitting access with .an arc weldingrodto .the ends of Vthestuds and the metal sill. A concrete loor 3B may be poured over the .junction-between lthe wall unitsand the footing after the weld 32 .is completed.

Fig. 9 illustrates amodied formof .a wall .unit 28A in which the stud 2SA consists of a tubular iron plate. The .pipe 29A .is .positioned in .the middle of the wall unit and does .not extend beyond 'the ends of .the unit. In .thisform theis'tud rests on the plate `3`3 and under 7the I-"beam 3l to support the verticalload of the roof. A practicaluse of this unit is to use 'it alternately with the "unit '28 shown `in Fig. 7 to support the roof while units 28 align'the wall.

Fig. 'l0 shows 'a 'further wall'unit 5B which is in all respects the same as the .preferred wall unit 5 except `that a core jis placed in the 'unit prior to pouring the concrete to form a bore f3.1 longitudinally therethrough. After 'the unit '5B is erected in 'a building Vholes may be 4drilled,

4 through the inner or outer surfaces of the unit as at 38 to communicate with the bores 31 for running electric or telephone wires through the bore.

Fig. 11 shows a modified form of wall unit 5C in which one or more divider plates have been placed in the mold prior to pouring the unit and thereafter removed forming slots 39 at predetermined intervals which permit easy access to the stud, either wood as shown vor metal, for sawing the unit into short lengths such as those over the windows and doors. The sectionalized unit is held together by the stud for convenient 'handling and 'transportation until it is ready to loe-used.

Fig. I2 illustrates a further modified form of wall unit 28B having a stud 29B formed of two light sheet metal channels 40 joined together in back-to-back relationship. The webs of the channels are slightly bent or folded as at 4| and the stud vis positioned .near the inner side of the wall unitso `that nails may be Adriven betweenv the channel members .as desired for supporting ,pictures or moulding on 1the .inside wall of the house.

The studs 29B extend beyond the top of the body ofthe wall unit and the flanges of .thechannel members are apertured as at 12 to receive screws for securing a light downwardly facing channel shaped ,pla-te along the tops vof the wall units. 'The studs 29B are presently available under the commercial .trade name of Stran- Steel.

In all forms of the 4building unit illustrated, the stud member, either metalor wood, acts `both to carry part 0f the vertical .load .of the plates on the wall and to mutually reinforce and .be reinforced by .the concrete of the wall unit. The studs further act .for form aligning .members for successive wall units so that relatively inexperienced workmen may erect the units without danger of YInisaligning the units vor curving the wall. The units may be economically formed by pouring the vermiculite concrete in suitable molds to form a .few .standard vshapes and are easily and cheaply transported after construction due to theirlight weight.

We have ldescribed our wall unit in several highlypractical forms thereof for use -both as exterior and 'interior wall units for either dwelling or commercial structures. Other modications of the construction unitsuchas other shapes of stud members and .oblique langle wall junction members should be readily apparent where the use ci these modied forms are desirable.

.Having thus described -our invention, -what we claim Vas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

.1. A building'construction in combination with a .footing having a metal vsill secured tothe rupper surface thereof, said building :construction comprising a plurality of interlocking ywa'll units and extending fthe full Iheight-of thewall, metal reenforcing stud members of angle shaped cross section positioned within the body of said 'rwall units and closer to the'innersurfacethereof, said stud members extending beyond the ends of'sa'id wall units, and a plate lof I-beam cross lsection supported upon .the .top of `said wall units, 'the upper ends of said studs lbeing welded to lthe inner edge of said .I-beam, .the .lower ends :of said studs being welded tothe inneredgefof-saidzsill, the -inner edge of said footing Abeing `beveled to permit access to the lower .endsofsaid studs,;the body of lsaid wall units 'being made of concrete with fa'vermlcullte aggregate.

2. A building construction in combination with a footing having a metal sill secured to the upper surface thereof, said building construction comprising a plurality of interlocking Wall units extending the full height of the Wall, and metal reenforcing stud members positioned within the body of said Wall units and closer to one surface thereof, said stud members extending beyond the lower ends of said wall units, the lower ends of said studs being Welded to the inner edge of said sill, the inner edge of said footing being beveled to permit access to the lower ends of said studs, the body of said wall units being made of concrete-like material with a light Weight aggregate.

3. A building construction in combination with a footing having a metal sill secured to the upper surface thereof, said building construction comprising a plurality of Wall units extending the full height of the wall, metal reenforcing stud members positioned Within the body of said wall units and closer to one surface thereof, said stud members extending beyond the ends of said Wall units, and a metal plate member supported upon the top of said Wall units, the upper ends of said studs being Welded to the edge of said plate, the lower ends of said studs being welded to the edge of said sill, one edge of said footing being beveled to permit access to the lower ends of said studs, the body of said Wall units being formed of concrete-like material with an aggregate of lighter Weight than stone.

MAURICE BOSS, JR.

ORRIE BOSS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

